private Land of Shadows

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@@Steel Accord, Clover was fainting even as Steel swept her up. "I don't know," she murmured. "I can't stay awake any longer... I used up all my magic helping other ponies escape..." As she spoke the last words, Clover's eyes closed and she finally fell into unconsciousness. At least she knew that Steel was with her.

"Clover! Clover!" Steel tried to shake her awake. The shadows encroached all around; above and below as well.

 

Steel held Clover close and brandished his weapons. "Get back! Stay away from her!" He yelled. Steel felt terrified. He had slain ponies, changelings, and even a dragon but now he faced a foe that didn't bleed. A foe that held no terror . . . of cold Steel.

 

The shadows wrapped around him and Clover, Steel held on to her and flapped for all he was worth, but it was in vain. He felt the strength all but dissapear from him. With one final faint scream, he literally fell into a dark sleep.

[Commander Bubbles 1,343]

@,

 

"Yep, who would of know something good would come out of getting shipwrecked! Not only did i make some friends but i met my Coltfriend too" Neon smiled at Red then took a seat next to him. She looked around then back at Red "Nice place, not to crowded but not to boring"

"Just another peaceful evening," Red said to his marefriend, "Not a whole lot going on; the hard work has mostly been done. All we need to do is tell our stories to our family and friends; they'll definitely be full of questions. Especially questions about our new relationship."

Red kind of shuddered at the thought of this, due to the fact that he never had a serious relationship with anypony. Therefore, Red talking about this relationship would be quite awkward for him. But how would Applejack react to this, he began to wonder. Surely he knew she had a crush on him since they were foals, but he didn't feel the same way for her at the time.

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

((OOC: Now that everypony is in a deep slumber, we can time jump to the next morning! WHOOOSH!))

 

DJ sat up and rubbed his head. It was still pounding and he was feeling more than a little dizzy. As he struggled to his feet, he heard a cry behind him. "THANK CELESTIA YOU'RE AWAKE!" Vinyl almost bowled him over as she hugged him. "I seriously thought you were dead! You just collapsed on the floor, and I didn't know what was wrong!"

 

DJ hugged her back and smiled. "I'm sorry I scared you. Something happened with that gem of mine. It didn't look right, and it's certainly never done THAT to me before!" He then suddenly remembered the night before. Racing to the window, he was surprised to see that... absolutely nothing was there. The streets were almost deserted, though there were still some ponies trotting around, confused, frightened or completely oblivious to what had happened the night before. There was very little evidence of the previous night's events, with very little damage and no sign of any o the strange ponies that had cover the city in darkness. "It was almost as if it was a dream..." he muttered to himself. "Where did they go?"

 

It was then that DJ remembered the party the night before. Sterling! Evening! All of his friends might still be there, hurt or... worse. He turned back to Vinyl. "Vinyl! We've got to go back to the park!" he cried. "I want to check everypony's ok!"

 

"You sure it's safe?" she asked worriedly. "I don't trust the streets much after last night."

 

"Safe or no, I have to go out there! I want to make sure everypony's ok!" Quickly putting some of his belongings into his saddlebags, he dashed to the door. Then, he stopped. He turned and walked back to where he had fallen last night, picked up the gem and put it in the saddlebags. If it had anything to do with the night's events, it might be worth bringing. Then, DJ dashed off again out of the room.

 

"Hey! Wait for me!" Vinyl cried. She sighed. When her coltfriend got something into his head, he wouldn't stop until he had put it to rest. Shrugging, she galloped after him.

 

((OOC: Since everypony was already in the park unconscious, I think all the OCs should meet up there, for an important plot development! ))

 

Edited August 10, 2013 by DJ-BRONI3

[Pripyat Pony 2,608]

Clover's eyes fluttered, and she awoke. She was lying in the park next to @@Steel Accord, and... where were those weird, shadowy ponies? She sat up with a jerk and looked about her. They were gone, as tho they had never been there. What on Equestria had happened last night? She felt for her jewel, it was still on her necklace round her neck, then she waited for Steel to wake up.

[PinkieShyFlutterPie 408]

Neon woke up and yawned, when she opened her eyes she was confused at first on why she was starring at the sky, til she remembered what happened last night and that she must of massed out. She got up and looked around, she saw that Red was still asleep and she also saw that everything looked fine...What was with those shadow ponies last night?

 

---------

@,

 

"Talk about our relationship and our adventure to family and friends? Sounds fun" Neon said sarcastically. She thought it would be awkward to talk about their relationship 

[Commander Bubbles 1,343]

Neon woke up and yawned, when she opened her eyes she was confused at first on why she was starring at the sky, til she remembered what happened last night and that she must of massed out. She got up and looked around, she saw that Red was still asleep and she also saw that everything looked fine...What was with those shadow ponies last night?

 

---------

@,

 

"Talk about our relationship and our adventure to family and friends? Sounds fun" Neon said sarcastically. She thought it would be awkward to talk about their relationship 

@Sterling Crimson

 

@Zhooves

 

@Steel Accord

 

 

@PinkieShyFlutterPie

 

@Pripyat Pony

 

Red continued to flash back while unconscious. Everypony else managed to awake, but Red remained there, seemingly lifeless.

"Let's just hope the family doesn't ask about the relationship part," Red said, laughing, "All they need to know is that I was so happy that day, I couldn't get to bed. Didn't sleep till morning."

Edited August 10, 2013 by Joey Slowgano

[Steel Accord 6,660]

Clover's eyes fluttered, and she awoke. She was lying in the park next to @@Steel Accord, and... where were those weird, shadowy ponies? She sat up with a jerk and looked about her. They were gone, as tho they had never been there. What on Equestria had happened last night? She felt for her jewel, it was still on her necklace round her neck, then she waited for Steel to wake up.

 

Steel stirred and shook his head. 

 

"What? . . . . What happened?" Steel looked around to see the abandoned park. Whatever threat accosted them before was gone now.

 

That's when he saw DJ. "Captain! Over here!" Steel called to his friend as he galloped toward him with Clover's hoof in his own.

[Inactive01 5,299]

Sterling's eyes began to awaken... it was morning. The night had passed. He saw that everything... was simply destroyed. The set, the decorations, even the tents and the Steinhay and Sons piano. It left Sterling devastated. This party was to be perfect, and yet... it was all ruined. His new beginning... was a new nightmare. What had happened? Why was everything covered in darkness and vice so quickly? What was going on? He didn't know... he wasn't even sure whether Evie was hurt... or worse... Sterling didn't want to think about it. He had to find the others and make sure they too were safe! Sterling then ran around the tattered and dying Central Park in his torn tuxedo in search for his friends...

Edited August 10, 2013 by Sterling Crimson

[lincolnshirepony 527]

Blue Note woke up with the vague sensation having some terrible dream. There had been shadows and a piano... "Did I already play at the wedding?" She felt confused in the early morning fog of her mind. She opened her eyes, only to see the piano above her. The previous day came flashing through her mind. 

 

She felt a stab of terror as she recalled the shadowy creatures. The land around her was nearly empty as she peered out from under the piano. Cautiously, she got up from under her "hiding" place. "Why did I think hiding under a piano was a good idea?" Still, she was safe for now. There was nothing suspicious around. She looked around Central Park. It seemed deserted, which was a rare occurence. Ponies were always in Central Park. "I need to find somepony that knows what happened."

Edited August 10, 2013 by lincolnshirepony

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

 

(OOC: Time for an awkward moment... hehehe...)

 

 

@lincolnshirepony

Sterling first took a good look around the stage as he traversed towards Central Park. He was particularly saddened about the destructed piano. However, he took a good look at the bottom and found a pony! Maybe it was friend! Sterling rushed over as fast as he could, and he cried out to the pony who had just peeked herself out of the piano,

 

"Hello! Are you alright?!"

 

-------------------------------------

@lincolnshirepony

Sterling just waved at the nicely dressed Blue Note. Her scarf complimented her mane very well and Sterling couldn't help but smile happily as she arrived. It was the perfect way for Sterling to get away from the hostile environment that was the University of Manehattan... He had been teased at often because of his personality. Nonetheless, it could have been far worse, and Blue Note was already proving to be a good friend. He excitedly replied to her invitation to play together,

 

"Would I ever! Let's get this started! Do you have any pieces we could play together?!" 
 

Edited August 10, 2013 by Sterling Crimson

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

Blue Note heard somepony calling. Was he calling to her? There was something comforting about his voice; she couldn't help but feel at ease. Perhaps this pony knew what had happened. He seemed normal enough from a distance, and she didn't have too many options in who to trust.

 

"Oh, thank Celestia somepony is here!" Blue Note rushed towards the unicorn, but stopped dead in her tracks when she realized why the voice was so comforting, so familiar. 

 

"Sterling."

------------------------------------

 

Blue Note smiled back at Sterling. Playing music together was always fantastic, and this was the first piece she had written specifically for them to play.

 

"Okay, I think you're going to like this one. The working title is 'Camaraderie', but I might change it later. It's a piano duet, obviously. You can play this part." Blue Note levitated the music onto the piano. She had written both of their part with their respective levels of piano skill in mind. 

 

It was so wonderful to have a friend to share her love of music with. She had never had a friend like Sterling before. They were so close, and Blue Note felt like she could genuinely trust him. Many ponies had let her down before, and she had come to expect it. She learned to guard herself. But Sterling had only built her up, and she found herself trusting him more and more. 

Edited August 10, 2013 by lincolnshirepony

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

(OOC: I'll be gone for an hour or two because of violin practicing. Once that's done, I'll be available tonight.)

 

Sterling walked up towards the pony at the stage. He was wondering who it could possibly be and why they would hide under the piano. When he saw who it was, he stopped where he was. He simply froze. He couldn't believe his luck. It was Blue Note. He dreaded this moment of reunion, if one wanted to call it that. She wasn't a pony Sterling wanted to remember. She betrayed him. How could she possibly want to come to his wedding? The only reason he gave her an invitation was because his parents forced him to. Deep down, he wanted nothing to do with Blue Note. She was a traitor to the bone. She was something Sterling couldn't possibly say out loud, but deep down, he wanted to say it. Nonetheless, he had to keep his composure and anger aside... for now.

 

"Blue Note. Are... are you ok?" Sterling asked nonchalantly and condescendingly.

-------------------------------------- 

Sterling was excited to be playing the new piece Blue Note had just composed He sat to Blue Note's left as he took control of the left side of the piano. It looked like a very interesting piece. It also had an interesting to which Sterling couldn't understand the meaning of: 'Camaraderie'... Sterling could only imagine what this piece could possibly mean as he sat on the black piano bench in front of the new Steinhay and Sons preparing to place his hooves on the keys and play...

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

Blue Note felt trapped in this moment in time. Sterling clearly did not want to see her, and she wished she could say the same for herself. She never did stop thinking about him. There was so much she wished she could ask him. "Why did you stop caring about me? Why did you abandon me? Why wouldn't you give me a chance?"

 

However, now was the wrong time for such a talk. They were completely alone, and the mystery of the shadowy ponies loomed over them. "Yes, I-I'm quite fine." The nightmares of her sleep had shaken her, and seeing Sterling was not helping her nerves. She took a small breathe to calm herself. "What happened here?"

 

------------

 

"Okay, I'll count us off," Blue Note said. "One, two, three, one, ready, go." She set the tempo under what was marked on the page, just for the sake of sight-reading. It was meant to played fast. The duet started with just the first part playing. It eventually transitioned into just the second part. Then, the two parts came together in a way to form something more beautiful, as the ideas in each part merged. Two ponies could be wonderful on their own, but they could benefit each other so much when they came together.

 

Her friendship with Sterling had been like that. She was okay on her own, but life had been brighter ever since she met him. Her life in Canterlot had been dismal, and she initially thought Manehatten would be too. Sterling had changed that though. He actually cared about her, and wanted to help her. She felt the same way about him. Their friendship was synergistic. 

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

@@Steel Accord

 

Hearing Steel's call, he dashed over to meet him, closely followed by Vinyl. "Hey Steel! What's happened?" DJ asked. "Last night, there was chaos, but now... there's nothing. I wish I knew what was going on!" He then remembered why he'd come back. "Oh! The others! Is everypony ok?"

[PinkieShyFlutterPie 408]

@@Steel Accord, @@Pripyat Pony, @,

 

When Neon got up she noticed her head ache. She tried to block the sun out of her face with her hoof. She saw most everypony seemed to be getting up, she saw DJ, Vinyl, Steel and Clover and decided to go up to them. She walked over to them "Hey, do you guys know what happen last night? And is everypony okay?" Neon asked, she was confused by everything going on.

 

----------

@, 

 

Neon laughed a bit "Yea, well, its good we don't have to talk to my parents then" She sighed  "I don't talk to them much now days..."

[Commander Bubbles 1,343]

@@Steel Accord, @@Pripyat Pony, @,

 

When Neon got up she noticed her head ache. She tried to block the sun out of her face with her hoof. She saw most everypony seemed to be getting up, she saw DJ, Vinyl, Steel and Clover and decided to go up to them. She walked over to them "Hey, do you guys know what happen last night? And is everypony okay?" Neon asked, she was confused by everything going on.

 

----------

@, 

 

Neon laughed a bit "Yea, well, its good we don't have to talk to my parents then" She sighed  "I don't talk to them much now days..."

Despite the other ponies being awake, Red continued to lay there. He had no pulse, felt cold, and appeared to have been killed from the impact on the ground.

 

***

 

"Me either..." Red responded to Neon, "They're so... distant... ever since I began racing, an alien form of art to them, I guess they stopped trying to form me into a businesscolt, and they just... gave up on me..."

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

Sterling was trying his best not to get angry at Blue Note, but deep down, he really wanted to let it all out. Not wanting to cause any more damage than what the shadows already did, he replied with a deep sigh and a blank face,

 

"I'm not sure. I'm just trying to find Evening and my friends."

He then spoke a murmur to himself before beginning his search around Central Park,

"Unlike you."

--------------------------------------------

Sterling began to play happily with Blue Note. It was a very bright piece, and he was smiling as the music played. Throughout the piece, he was tempted to go on his own, but he made sure to stay within beat. He was feeling very happy. Blue Note gave him a sense of completion. There was a mare who loved music like him. There was a mare who too wasn't very well accepted by other ponies. And there was a mare who truly... cared for him. Sterling kept this all in mind as he continued to happily play with Blue Note on the beautiful, black Steinhay and Sons. 

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

"What was that?" Blue Note asked. Sterling had muttered something in a tone less than kind. "Do you want any help? Travelling alone seems a bit unsafe." She was not particularly happy that he was her only option, but there were worse problems right now. Still, he was trying to hard to get away from her. She knew him well enough to know that. Why did their relationship change? Things had been going well between them for a long time...

 

----------------

 

Blue Note was enjoying playing with Sterling. She was glad that his part sounded like what she had been imagining in her mind, and that the two parts fit together so well. Finally, they hit the joyous ending together. 

 

"So, what did you think?" Blue Note asked, as she levitated a pencil to the pages. "I know that I could make a few changes, but I think we've got something good here." 

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

 

Sterling really didn't want any help, but he couldn't just push Blue Note away right now. What if the other ponies saw? They wouldn't really seem him as very kind anymore... Sterling knew they lacked understanding of the situation at hand, but he didn't want to start a conflict. Not at this time. He replied with a sigh of defeat before continuing his search,

 

"Like I said, you can help me find my friends around Central Park. I know Evening's around here somewhere... she last talked with an old friend, but I don't know what happened... I have no idea where the others went." 

------------------------

Sterling really like the piece as it was. Sure there were a few chords that could stand to improve, but for the most part, he thought the current layout was good. The happy feelings were ablaze in the piece, and that made him smile warmly towards Blue Note. He replied truthfully and happily,

 

"Well Blue Note. It sounds awesome as is. There's a few chords we can change, like this one and that one, but other than that, it sounds great! Your profs will love these compositions for sure!"

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

 

Blue Note had to bite her tongue to stop herself from giving Sterling a caustic reply. She knew very well that was not the entirety of the message. "He should know I'm not an imbecile..." She had to put her feelings aside to get out of this mess. She couldn't trust a deserted Manehatten. Snapping at him like an old foe would not help her now. "I guess I shouldn't give him a real reason to hate me..."

 

"Okay, where shall we start?" 

 

-------------------

 

"You're right," Blue Note said, making notes on the sheet music. "Perhaps I could play a little more with the two parts. There's so much I could do with them..." She paused, melodies running through her mind. 

 

"Anyway, thanks. I hope they'll like something like this. Too bad I don't have any real composition classes until next semester. I'm pretty sure this is too Vivace for Professor Adagio."

Edited August 11, 2013 by lincolnshirepony

[Inactive01 5,299]

@lincolnshirepony

@Steel Accord

 

Sterling didn't really feel like replying to Blue Note right now. She was just sounding more and more clingy to him. Why did she want to cling to him? She betrayed him! He would never forget that day in his life! That day shattered all that was Sterling Crimson and showed how much of a naivete he really was! Why did he even bother being friends with Blue Note?! Why was he even tolerating her?! It was becoming impossible to bear!

 

Just as Sterling was about to speak again back to Blue Note, he found DJ and Steel Accord! He ran immediately towards them, instantly forgetting about Blue Note! He gave them both a scream they would never forget,

 

"HEY!! DJ!!! STEEL!!! ARE YOU BOTH OK?!!! THIS WEDDING HAS BEEN THE WORST ONE IN MY LIFE!!!" 

------------------------------------------

 

Sterling heard Blue Note's humble thanks, and it felt him happy that he was able to help. He replied with a nod and a smile,

"You're welcome Blue Note. It's an honour for me to play this piece with you. You've been so caring for me these first few weeks here. The pleasure is mine."

[lincolnshirepony 527]

@Sterling Crimson

@Steel Accord

 

Blue Note quickly followed after Sterling; she didn't want to be alone out here. "He certainly has a power voice." His yell could bring out all of Manehatten. She knew who the two ponies were from all the news about them, even briefly talking to DJ before the ceremony. Blue Note always had here reservations about trusting ponies, but if Sterling trusted them, they must be all right. And it wasn't like she had a ton of options here. 

 

----

 

"Thanks," Blue Note said, blushing. Her crush on Sterling had been growing lately, but she wasn't sure how to approach it. She did not want to wreck what they had, or end up with a broken heart. Just being his friend seemed like the safest, most sensible option. "And it's not a problem. You're a great friend. I wish I could have met you sooner."

[Zhooves 843]

North slowly woke up as he heard somepony yelling. Opening his eyes a tiny bit, everything was a blur, and his eyes hurt a little.

"Mah..." came from him as he tried to get up, but as soon as he raised his head and tried to lift himself, a tiny scream of pain sounded from him, and he fell back down.

"Hj-hjelp..."

[Steel Accord 6,660]

@lincolnshirepony

@Steel Accord

 

Sterling didn't really feel like replying to Blue Note right now. She was just sounding more and more clingy to him. Why did she want to cling to him? She betrayed him! He would never forget that day in his life! That day shattered all that was Sterling Crimson and showed how much of a naivete he really was! Why did he even bother being friends with Blue Note?! Why was he even tolerating her?! It was becoming impossible to bear!

 

Just as Sterling was about to speak again back to Blue Note, he found DJ and Steel Accord! He ran immediately towards them, instantly forgetting about Blue Note! He gave them both a scream they would never forget,

 

"HEY!! DJ!!! STEEL!!! ARE YOU BOTH OK?!!! THIS WEDDING HAS BEEN THE WORST ONE IN MY LIFE!!!"

------------------------------------------

 

Sterling heard Blue Note's humble thanks, and it felt him happy that he was able to help. He replied with a nod and a smile,

"You're welcome Blue Note. It's an honour for me to play this piece with you. You've been so caring for me these first few weeks here. The pleasure is mine."

North slowly woke up as he heard somepony yelling. Opening his eyes a tiny bit, everything was a blur, and his eyes hurt a little.

"Mah..." came from him as he tried to get up, but as soon as he raised his head and tried to lift himself, a tiny scream of pain sounded from him, and he fell back down.

"Hj-hjelp..."

Steel heard the plea from the familiar and normally strong voice.

 

"North!" Steel ran over to his young friend. "Young North, you're hurt!" Steel said as he held the colt's head up.

 

"Doctor!" He cried. "North's hurt! Somepony get that medical egghead over here!" Steel sounded uncharacteristically harsh from worry.

[Umbral Noir 1,556]

Through the frantic confusion, DJ looked left and right. Steel and Sterling seemed to be taking care of North, along with the blue pony known as Blue Note he had talked with briefly, but he still couldn't see Red. "Hold on guys, I'm going to see where Red is!" he cried. After a short while of searching, he came across the body of a red pegasus lying near one of the tables. "Red!" DJ exclaimed. He had no pulse. He wasn't breathing. This was NOT good. "Uh oh... What do I do? What do I do?" DJ thought desperately.